


A Family That Understands

by orphan_account



Category: Fairly OddParents, Nicktoons (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6384295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>In my headcanon, Timmy struggles with his grades because he is dyslexic. His parents aren't smart enough to notice so he never gets proper assistance. Timmy assumes he's "stupid" and has no excuse for struggling with school, which makes it more difficult for him.</p><p>Summary of my headcanons: I enjoy hurting my own feelings.</p>
    </blockquote>





	A Family That Understands

**Author's Note:**

> In my headcanon, Timmy struggles with his grades because he is dyslexic. His parents aren't smart enough to notice so he never gets proper assistance. Timmy assumes he's "stupid" and has no excuse for struggling with school, which makes it more difficult for him.
> 
> Summary of my headcanons: I enjoy hurting my own feelings.

I shoulda skipped class today, Timmy thought. He had forgotten it was the day Crocker collected his favorite assignment. It was National Poetry Day, so everyone was expected to choose a poem they would read in front of the class.

Timmy kept his eyes on the floor, even as the bell rang, until Crocker waltzed into the room with the usual crooked strut his students had grown accustomed to. AJ leaned forward and tapped Timmy on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, “Everything will turn out fine.”

It was nice that AJ wanted to reassure him, but what did he know? He didn’t understand, he didn’t see things the way Timmy did.

Crocker interrupted Timmy’s already rattled thoughts when he stood before the class, right in front of Timmy’s desk, and flashed him a toothy smile.

“Now, as we only have a few moments left in class, I’d like to choose a few readers to celebrate National Poetry Day. Let’s start…with AJ.”

It was the same as every year. The teacher could never let Timmy get it over with at the beginning, but always made sure to call on him near the end.

Tootie was called on to read next, and lightly brushed her hand against his shoulder as she walked to the front of the room. Timmy sighed and sunk into his seat, he couldn’t be happier that Tootie had switched to his school. She always seemed to know when words weren’t the kind of comfort he wanted. Once she had finished, Tootie took her graded rubric from Crocker and returned to her seat.

“Now…who will finish us off? How about…our star pupil, Timmy Turner?”

Crocker sneered as the boy raised himself out of the chair he had sunken into. Timmy picked up the poem he had chosen and made his way to the front. When he turned to face the class, his eyes met Tootie’s.

“Don’t worry,” she mouthed, “I won’t let him get you.”

Timmy inhaled deeply, glancing down at the poem. You’ve read this a hundred times, you shouldn’t mess up.

And yet, he did.

In a few lines, Timmy had swapped so many letters and words that his classmates had no clue what he was supposed to be reciting. After a few stanzas, Crocker cut him off.

“Turner! Start over! Read it properly this time!”

Similar to the past few years, he felt tears attempting to spill over. And like those other years, he held them back. Halfway through Timmy re-reading the poem, Crocker interrupted him again. This time, Tootie cut in.

“Mr. Crocker, you mispelled a few words on my rubric.”

“What?”

“They’re pretty simple words. So if you let me borrow some white-out, I can fix them.”

After a bout of laughter from the class, a red-faced and furious Crocker dismissed them. Timmy and Tootie decided to walk home together, stopping at the end of the driveway when they arrived at Tootie’s.

“Thanks Tootie.”

“No reason to thank me. I told you I wouldn’t let him bully you.”

“Yeah but thanks.”

“Why don’t you talk to someone, Timmy? About whatever it is?”

“I dunno”, he shrugged, “Nobody cares. My parents are too dense to.”

“You have a family that understands.”

“No I don’t. They’re idiots.”

“They’re not who–”

“Sorry Tootie, I gotta head home. Lots of homework and stuff.”

He continued the walk home alone, save for the company of Cosmo and Wanda disguised as butterflies. When they failed to comfort him, they asked Timmy why he didn’t wish for someone who could understand. He explained, in short, that they wouldn’t actually care and would only be listening because they were created to. That wasn’t what he wanted.

Timmy greeted his parents on his way up to his room and then locked himself away. He immediately noticed his closet was emitting a bright, flickering light. It was the not-so-cleverly-hidden portal Jimmy had made for him. He opened the door and was yanked through, landing face first on the other side.

He peeled his face off the floor and locked eyes with Danny, who helped him stand.

“Sorry Timmy. Didn’t mean to knock you down.”

“I’m fine.”

A little confused and somewhat tired, Timmy sat down to start his homework. But of course, he couldn’t even get settled before he heard Spongebob and Jimmy shouting from another room. Like most days, the words on the page frustrated him and his noisy friends were an added distraction. So, Timmy took to playing his video games. It became oddly quiet. That’s weird. When is Spongebob ever quiet?

He lowered his game from in front of his face just as Spongebob popped up, singing the most twisted version of any “Happy Birthday” song Timmy had ever heard.

“Ooooooooooh ~ Who travels through portals and loves to wear pink? TI-MMY TUR-NER!!! Who talks to fairies and has twin buck teeth? TI-MMY TUR-NER!!! Who loves Spongebob much more than Jimmy? TIM-MY TUR-NER!!! Who is our lil Nicktoon we all love to seeeeeeeee??? TI-MMMMMMY TUUUUUUUR-NER!!!”

“I dunno if I should laugh or cry.”

“You could try both”, Spongebob suggested, “I usually do both.”

Just as the hyperactive sponge finished his one-man show, Danny and Jimmy came out of the kitchen carrying a cake. The pink and green candles made the dessert look like Cosmo and Wanda were waiting to pop out. Jimmy nudged his shoulder.

“Blow out the candles, Timmy!”

As he leaned over, Timmy realized something. The cake wasn’t decorated with fancy lettering, or any words at all. A large icing version of a photo sat on top. It was a selfie the four of them had taken a year ago. He looked around as each of them avoided meeting his eyes (except Spongebob who was looking at the ceiling anyway).

So they did pick this one on purpose…

Smiling, Timmy closed his eyes and blew the candles out.

Later, when everyone had filled up on cake and he had opened the gifts they’d made him, Timmy was sprawled out on the couch. He listened in on Jimmy and Spongebob arguing in the kitchen.

“I told you he’d love it, Jimmy!”

“So what? You came up with a goofy idea that worked! I don’t care!”

“GASP!!! YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS OF MY IMAGINATION!!!”

Danny stepped out of the hectic battlefield to join Timmy on the couch, sitting beside his feet.

“Hey Danny.”

“Did you like your party? Well I don’t know if you’d call it that but, you know.”

“Yeah. I liked the cake.”

“Would you want a picture on your cake every year, from now on?”

“Uh-huh. It was better than those weird frosting fonts that I can never read.”

Danny tugged at one of his socks. He didn’t say anything, since Timmy was falling asleep. But their tender moment was cut short by a pan flying out of the kitchen, followed by more shouts. Danny sighed before he pulled Timmy into a quick, but tight, hug and wished him a happy birthday. Then he stormed back into the kitchen to reclaim his role as mediator.

Cosmo and Wanda popped up, floating quietly above Timmy’s head as he drifted off, and asked if he was feeling better. He smiled, still able to feel the warmth of his friend’s body so long after the hug ended. He had expected a ghost boy to be cold, but Danny’s arms had made him feel as if he were wrapped in a huge blanket. He nodded in reply.

“You didn’t make a wish…” the fairies voiced in unison.

Timmy looked over at the quarrel in the kitchen. As he watched a stargazing half-ghost try to wedge himself between an attention-seeking sea sponge and a socially awkward scientist, Timmy understood who Tootie had meant when she mentioned his “family that understands”.

“I already got my wish.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy ending for my son ~
> 
> Feedback and comments are appreciated!


End file.
